To Better Understand a Whisper
by The Stone Troubadour
Summary: A nurse at Arendelle's Children's Hospital, Anna is usually in the fast lane, all the time. Between this, that, and the other thing, she doesn't have much time to slow down. But then, she meets Kristoff - a volunteer at the hospital - and his close but very much a hand puppet friend, Sven. Anna finally gets to slow down, and learn to enjoy the quiet of life.


Anna sighed, quickly raking her fingers through her hair as she found a place to sit and rest for a few minutes.

Work had been hectic, but that was the normal pace at Arendelle's Children Hospital. Anna really wouldn't have had it any other way; her life outside work was rather hum-drum, and the rush of hospital work had an organized chaos to it that she craved.

As much as she wished none of these kids had to be stuck here, Anna loved her job. She loved seeing them on their good days - and being there for them when things didn't always go so great.

Which was why he intrigued her so much - _he_ being one of the volunteers that came in to spend time with the children; to cheer them up, make them laugh, hopefully get a smile on their little faces. He usually came in on alternating days of each week, and always had the same, goofy little hand puppet with him; a reindeer named Sven, or so she had been told by several of the children.

Anna had yet to actually speak with the man himself - which was almost unheard of, since she made a point of doing so with most everybody she came into contact with. All she really knew about him was that he was tall, blond, and incredibly good with children. The goofy reindeer of his made him an instant friend to the young ones, and even gave him some surprising leeway with the older kids. Anna also thought that she'd overheard his name a few times, but she wasn't too sure on that - Constantine? Christian? It was something sort of long, possibly Christopher...?

Seeing that she was going to be ending her shift for the day in about ten minutes, Anna hoped she could swing by the rec room again, and catch him before he left.

So Anna finished up her rounds, checking in on several of the hospital's little patients, and then made her way back to the recreation room. Most of the children were gone, back in their rooms. Only a few of the older kids were still there, chatting among themselves or playing some of the rather outdated video games that had been donated.

She was staring to think that she'd missed the guy, but then Anna spotted him over by one of the far tables with one of the girls. It looked like the little girl was showing off some of her drawings, pointed quite animatedly at one thing or another.

Putting on a friendly smile and tucking some of her strawberry blonde hair behind her ear, Anna approached the table. "Hey there!" she greeted enthusiastically, recognizing the twelve-year-old as a girl named Sadie.

"Oh, hi, Nurse Anna!" the girl returned, looking up from the pink lion she had been showing off to the blond man. "I'm showin' Kristoff some of my artwork! Him and Sven like my animal drawings the best," she giggled, smiling.

Kristoff! So _that_ was his name! At least she hadn't been too far off, but it would have been _so_ embarrassing to say his name wrong in the same breath that she was intending to thank him.

"You _are_ our resident artist, Sadie! Who wouldn't like your drawings?" Anna grinned, her sky blue eyes drifting up to the large man who so easily dwarfed the young girl next to him. "So, you're friends with Kristoff and...Sven?"

Sadie nodded, and was about to say something when a large hand pat her on the head, Kristoff tapping at the beaten up watch on his wrist. "Oh, okay! You'll be bringing Sven back in a few days, right, Kris?" she asked, seeming to understand that he had to leave.

Anna blinked in confusion when all the man did was smile and give a nod, grabbing his messenger bag from the floor and heading towards the door of the rec room. "Ah, I'll be right back, okay, Sadie?" she murmured out quickly, catching up to Kristoff's long-legged stride with quick little skips in her walk. "Hey, wait! Uh, Kristoff!" Anna called out, almost reaching out to try and catch his arm, but stopping when he turned around with a quizzical look on his round face.

"Uh, ha...Thanks for stopping...," Anna said, laughing a bit. Tucking another loose strand of hair behind her ear - she really had small ears, her hair never stayed tucked there for very long - she beamed up at him. "And, also, I wanted to thank you for what you do, you know, for the kids. I know there are some kinda grumpy nurses and doctors here, but we all really appreciate you volunteers."

Kristoff shifted awkwardly, chocolate shaded eyes drifting back and forth, but never settling directly on Anna.

He seemed kinda fidgety...Oh! Maybe she was keeping him from somewhere he was supposed to be! Duh, Anna, come on!

"Oh, sorry, I'm probably holding you up! I just wanted to say thanks, and that I really appreciate you spending time with...the kids here...," Anna trailed off, looking up from the foam puzzle piece mat that was at the door of the rec room to see that Kristoff had bolted when her attention wasn't on him. "What the...? Why did he run off like that? Kinda rude when I was trying to thank him...," she huffed, blowing up at her bangs.

Anna turned around when she heard Sadie giggle at her.

"Kris isn't rude, Nurse Anna, he's just...different. Good different," the girl stated, gathering up her papers and colored pencils. "See? He's like my pink lion! Lions aren't really pink, but that's what makes Pink Lion so unique!"

"I...think I know what you're saying, Sadie," Anna said, still a little confused by the girl's explanation. Oh, well, that was a kid for you; seeing the world and everything in it in a different and individual way. "I'll try to keep that in mind next time I see him, but I think it's about time you headed back up to your room, Missy."

"Aw, do I have to?"

"Yes, but I'll walk you back up, okay? You can show me some of your new drawings on the way there, how's that sound?"

"Alright!"

* * *

It was awhile before Anna had the time to stop by the recreation room again, they'd had an influx of new patients this week, and she'd been kept on her toes the whole time.

All week, though, she'd been thinking of a better way to try and talk to this Kristoff guy.

Just from the times she'd been able to watch him, he always seemed comfortable around the kids; playing with them, talking - but that was all usually done when he had that silly reindeer. Maybe he was just shy? Or, perhaps Anna had come on too strong earlier; she did sort of ambush him there, she supposed.

So, Anna was all set to do what she did with some of the more stubborn or withdrawn kids that came through the hospital:

_Sweets_.

Everybody loved sweet things! Cookies, brownies, cupcakes - you name it, and Anna couldn't think of someone who hated it!

Well...Except for maybe Hans. How was Anna supposed to know he had a sugar allergy?

But, she was getting off track here. The point was, she was going to try and redo her thank you with double fudge brownies, and hopefully get to know Kristoff. Anna was a compulsive friend-maker, and she didn't like thinking that she might have made a bad first impression on the guy. Just like her sister always said, Anna went into everything full-throttle, but that didn't work on things that needed a slower pace. And Anna had a feeling, this was one of those slow lane instances.

_"You know how they say veggies are good for you?"_

Anna stopped just outside of the rec room door, smiling to herself when she heard the now familiar voice of Sven.

_"Well, Kristoff thought that eating a lot of carrots would be healthy - he shared with me of course, even though they'd get covered in reindeer spit after I took a bite."_

There was a chorus of "ew's" from most of the children, and a few "awesome's" from some of the older kids. Anna couldn't help giggling at the image he was painting with his story.

_"I know, right? He can be kinda gross sometimes. But, back to my story - so, he's eating carrots, like, all_ _the time, you know? And, don't get me wrong, I like carrots, but a reindeer's gotta have a li'l variety, too! But, the funny thing was, eating so many carrots all the time, he started turning orange!"_

"Like the Thing!" one of the boys laughed.

_"Yup, just less rocky...And no cool super powers," _Sven confirmed, sounding disappointed in about the no super powers thing.

As Anna finally stepped into the room, the story was wrapping up, and the kids were wandering off to different parts of the room. Kristoff was letting the littler kids say their cheerful goodbyes to Sven, the hand puppet discreetly being slipped into his bag when they'd all run off again.

Anna plopped herself down in one of the seats at the table he was using, slightly bemused by the fact that she could still fit comfortably on a kiddie seat. "Hey, it's me again. I realize I may have gone a bit too...fast the other day, and I wanted to apologize if I made you uncomfortable. I mean, I jumped into it so soon, I never even introduced myself," she laughed a little nervously, setting the little paper plate of brownies covered in saran wrap down on the plastic table top. "I'm Anna," she smiled, hoping this would smooth over any previous awkwardness.

Kristoff blinked at her, then down at the plate of brownies, then back up at her. He gave her a small, sheepish sort of smile, and waved a hand at her in a way that she took to mean that it was no big deal.

"Great, I wouldn't want to be responsible for chasing you off - the kids really love you and Sven," Anna beamed, internally sighing in relief that it all appeared to be water under the bridge.

Kristoff shrugged, glancing around the room in a slow sweep.

"Hm...I guess so. But I know some of the kids find it easier to talk to the volunteers than some of the doctors here. I mean, yeesh, have you ever been stuck in a room with Ursula before?" Anna snorted, faking a shudder. "She's got...a lot of presence, you could say."

But Kristoff didn't say. Anna couldn't tell if he was just choosing not to talk, or if he genuinely couldn't - but, that train of speculation quickly stopped, since Kristoff was the one who gave Sven his voice. He couldn't be mute, but she also couldn't seem to get him to talk to her either. It was obvious he knew sign language, Anna recognized some of the simpler gestures he made, but she clearly didn't understand all of it - or even a fraction of it, really. Which was why he was pantomiming for her to try and convey himself.

It was certainly one of the stranger conversations she'd ever had...If one could call it a conversation at all. But, Anna didn't mind a one-sided conversation, she'd had plenty of those before when her sister was ill. At least she knew Kristoff could hear her, and listen to what she was saying.

* * *

And so, it went on in much the same manner. Anna would use whatever spare time she had to meet up with Kristoff in the rec room, sometimes even joining in his routine with Sven. They actually made up quite the yarn about a Snow Queen, Sven having to travel up this huge mountain with a little snowman named Olaf to stop an eternal winter. The kids loved it, and oftentimes asked for a continuation to that particular story. One that the two were more than happy to indulge in.

Anna would talk, and talk, and talk; Kristoff would listen, making his little gestures here and there, which Anna had become rather good at deciphering.

Their meet ups weren't just restricted to the hospital, though. On the rare occasion Anna had a day to herself, away from the children's hospital, she'd drive over to the bookstore Kristoff worked at. He'd taken to setting aside books for her, stories he thought she'd like; romances, fairy tales, the occasional murder mystery that had _just_ the right elements to keep her attention.

She thought it was really sweet. Reading was very special to her, it was like going into a different world for her. It was one of the few things that kept her from completely losing hope when Elsa had gotten sick as a child.

Her older sister was born frail, an unfortunate genetic inheritance, or so they were told. She couldn't be outside for very long, or around too many people, in case she caught something; even something as simple as a cold could do some serious damage to her. Some days, all Elsa would do was sleep; sometimes peacefully, other times fevered.

So, Anna would read to her. It was something their mother had done, when she was still alive. As a kid, Anna had read simple little stories to her, even making up her own from time to time, or when she'd exhausted their supply of books at home. It had seemed to help Elsa, at least a little - but it certainly helped Anna. Being so young, seeing her older sister so weak and frail had been confusing, even scary for her young mind. Getting to travel into all these different worlds through books, Anna could pretend for at least a little while that they were both fine; just off in an adventure, like the characters in their books.

And she knew Kristoff got it, to some degree. Anna had probably told him everything about herself over the months that they'd become friends. But that, unlike their conversations sometimes, wasn't one-sided. Kristoff shared things about himself, too. Maybe not as liberally as Anna, but she saw it as a fair trade; she was more extroverted and willing to share, he was more guarded and only shared things with people he trusted.

Anna would admit to feeling rather special that she was one of those people.

* * *

"So...I was...thinking," Anna said out loud, slowly spelling out the letters to her words with fidgety fingers, fledgling capability restricting her to a slower than she liked form of communication.

Kristoff simply said she needed practice; it may have been called American Sign Language, but it was still another language.

"We've been hanging...out for a...while, I was wondering if you'd...like to go out to...a movie with me?" she asked, trying very hard not to screw up any of the positions of her fingers.

Kristoff blinked at that, going a bit red in the face as he processed what she'd asked. _You...and me? Out for a movie...like a...date?_

Anna nodded, suppressing a giggle at the way he fumbled - she couldn't hear his nervousness, but she sure could see it. "Yeah, a date. You and me," she smiled, reaching over to pull his hands closer to herself. "What, never been on a date before?" she asked jokingly.

Kristoff shook his head, brown eyes staying fixed on the slightly sticky table that they had set up outside the bookshop. Usually, it only had the ten cents books on it, but Anna liked to use it when she brought coffee for the both of them.

"Oh...Well, then this'll be extra special! I've only dated once before, so we're pretty much in the same boat, Kris," Anna assured him, letting his hands go so that she could look up movie times on her phone.

It was funny, before meeting Kristoff, Anna hated it when things were quite; when there was a lull in conversation, and noise was everywhere but surrounding her. But now, she had come to like the quiet - Anna could even tell when Kristoff was being quiet as well, his jacket would make noise when he moved his arms to sign something.

Anna looked up when she felt Kristoff lightly tap on her forehead. "There _are_ better ways of getting my attention, you dork," she laughed, but gave him her full attention.

_I want to do this right. Treat you to dinner before the movie?_

"Do it...right? Oh, dinner! Sure, I'd...I'd love to," Anna agreed, blushing a little. "Where should we meet?"

* * *

When Kristoff had told her he'd make her a home-cooked meal, she'd almost screamed right there on the spot. It had been _forever_ since Anna had eaten something home-cooked, and she was really looking forward to seeing where Kristoff lived. He swung by her apartment at around five, looking sort of sheepish about the state of his clearly hand-me-down truck.

Anna had simply raised herself up onto tip-toes, and gave him a quick, chaste kiss on the cheek to ease his fidgeting.

She wasn't really sure what she'd been expecting when they got to Kristoff's, but Anna was sort of surprised at how cute it was. It was a little house, gray paint with green trim around the windows; thin fencing running along the small property lines, and the front lawn sprinkled with puffs of cotton grass.

All in all, it was both unexpected and how she imagined it. Kind of like Kristoff himself.

As Kristoff opened up the door for her, Anna heard him make this funny little noise in the back of his throat. At first she didn't get what had upset him, but then everything revealed itself when a stout, middle-aged woman came barreling out from the kitchen.

"You must be Anna! I almost didn't believe it, but my Krissy actually brought home a girl!" she boomed, thick but short arms wrapping both younger adults up in a crushing hug.

Anna was shocked, but didn't mind all too much. Kristoff, on the other hand, looked about ready to melt into the floor from embarrassment.

"Oh, don't give me that look, baby! I told you I'd be coming over here to help you cook - and to check out this _girlfriend_ of yours! And just look at her! Bright eyes, cute nose, lovely teeth - oh, you found a keeper here, Krissy boy!" the short woman whooped, circling around Anna as she appraised the younger woman.

Kristoff pulled the woman - who Anna was guessing must have been his mother, though they didn't look much alike - off to the side, and started having a rather testy conversation with her.

"Now, Kristoff, I know what you said. But I wasn't gonna leave this poor girl to your cooking! You're just like Cliff; master of the grill, but all microwave meals in the kitchen. No, you needed a _woman's_ touch for this."

Anna pressed a hand to her mouth, trying to stifle her giggles at Kristoff's exasperation.

"Oh, no, don't you take that tone with me, young man! Now go sit down with your _very_ lovely date, while _I_ finish up what I've started in the kitchen," the graying woman ordered, giving Kristoff a firm but well-meaning smack on the arm. "Anna, dear, I'm Bulda, by the way," she introduced herself, beaming at the redhead before bustling back into the other room.

"Oh, it was lovely meeting you!" Anna called back, her gaze shifting to a rather pout-y looking Kristoff. "What? You thought I didn't already know you were a goof, and just a _little_ bit of a mama's boy?" she teased, sneaking up by his side and leaning into him with a hug.

He rolled his eyes, and retaliated with a quick tickle attack to her sides.

* * *

Dinner had been absolutely fine, despite Kristoff's grumpiness at his mother intruding. They'd had a nice talk, and Anna had learned that Kristoff had been adopted into the Bjorgman family - which explained the general lack of familial traits between them, at least physically.

But soon enough, it was time for them to head off to the movies. Kristoff had gone to the bathroom, so Anna was helping Bulda clear off the table.

"You know, most people don't look at my Kris the way you do, Anna," Bulda said abruptly, dunking her hands into warm, soapy dishwater. "If they look at him twice, it's not because they see the good things in him."

Anna glanced away from the plates she'd been stacking back into the cupboards, her eyebrows scrunching together as she frowned. "What do you mean? How can other people _not_ see his good points?" she asked, genuinely confused.

Sure, Kristoff could be a bit stand-offish at times, and maybe a little intimidating...but he was so sweet once you got past that front. He was kind, and patient, and while he certainly got frustrated, Anna could honestly say she'd never seen him get really angry. Even when one of the kids at the hospital had spilled juice on Sven, he'd simply made the reindeer shake it off, and cleaned him later so that the poor kid didn't get upset.

"Well...Lots of people don't like to...see others with their hearts, you know what I'm saying, dear?" Bulda hummed, scrubbing at a dish with practiced ease. "They see with their eyes, but they're not really lookin'."

"Oh...," Anna murmured, pressing her lips together as she thought about the older woman's words. She'd seen some people give these sad or uncomfortable looks to some of the kids at the hospital - and, yeah, it _is_ sad that they were dealt this sort of hand in life, but they weren't _just_ sad. They're all fun, and happy, and kids, and _themselves - _they are themselves, not their illnesses or disabilities. When Anna looked at them, she didn't see sick kids in need of pity, she saw children who deserved the same chance to be the best people they could be.

Bulda smiled softly when she noticed Anna's pensive expression. Yes, just as she'd thought; Anna would be perfect for her Kristoff.

"Oh, and just so you know...Kristoff doesn't really like crowds, so if he's a bit cagey, don't think that he's not having a good time with you," Bulda said, changing the subject again. "He always gets anxious when he can't have Sven with him either, so just be patient with him, okay?"

Anna blinked, breaking out of her thoughts. "Oh, gosh, of course! I can go slow, like, _glacier_ slow...Aha...ha," she laughed, smacking her forehead at how silly she sounded.

Maybe...Kristoff wasn't the only one nervous here. After all, Anna's one and only other dating experience had gone...less than satisfactory. And she _really_ liked Kristoff, Anna wanted it to work out this time...

* * *

Just as Bulda had warned, once they'd gotten to the mall, Kristoff had gotten tense. His back had gone rigid, and his shoulders were hunched - Anna also noticed that he kept flexing the hand that he always used for Sven, so she'd slipped her small hand into his larger one, and leaned against him until he calmed down again.

It hadn't been too bad, though; luckily, it wasn't too crowded - Anna even spotted the best seats in the theater being open, and raced the two of them over there as fast as she could drag Kristoff. He'd tripped along in the semi-darkness, clutching the bag of popcorn and ridiculously-sized soda in his hands.

The movie ended up being rather dull, but that gave the two a chance to get closer - at least, as much as the cup-holders would allow. After several awkward fumbles, and a near disaster with the soda, Anna had simply got up and plopped herself down on Kristoff's lap. She was pretty sure he'd flushed all the way down his neck at that, but she could - unfortunately - claim no evidence in her favor when he later denied any such reaction.

Leaving the theater with dopey smiles on their faces, Kristoff drove them back to his place. Bulda had left, leaving behind a quick note on the kitchen table wishing the two a fun night.

Kristoff asked if she wanted him to drop her back off at her own home, since it was getting late, and he knew she had to work the next day. But Anna shook her head, grabbing his hand again, and leading him over to the leather recliner in the living room. She pushed him down into the chair, and clambered on top of him; her legs hanging comfortably over the soft arm of the recliner, and her arms loosely wrapped around his neck.

They stayed like that for a while, the ticking of the old clock on the wall fading in and out of their ears, both just enjoying being with the other.

Shifting her arms from their position, Anna pointed to herself, than crossed her arms over her chest with her hands balled up into fists; finishing off the sign with the palm of her hand turned upward, and her fingers all pointing out forward, almost like she was going to blow a kiss at him.

Kristoff smiled at her, bringing his arms around her and pulling her in as close as he could. With his mouth resting just against the shell of her ear, he very softly whispered into Anna's ear, "I love you, too..."


End file.
